2/4/2014

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The USA Swimming Foundation announces USA Triathlon as a member of the Make a Splash Affiliate Coalition. This partnership was forged in an effort to increase drowning prevention nationwide. The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative is a national child-focused water safety campaign which aims to provide the opportunity for every child in American to learn to swim.

The USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash Affiliate Coalition is a strategic cohort comprised of businesses and organizations who share the common goal of promoting the importance of learning to swim and water safety.
As an Affiliate partner, USA Triathlon will promote and expand the USA Swimming Foundation’s message of learn to swim and water safety. In addition to promotion, USA Triathlon has also agreed to:

• Provide age-appropriate water safety and learn to swim materials to Splash and Dash Youth Aquathlon participants and their families.

• Explore the concept of pre-event clinics to prepare athletes for all potential triathlon environments.

Fifty swim-run events from across the United States comprise the third annual USA Triathlon Splash & Dash Youth Aquathlon Series, which runs from March through November 2014. Open to young athletes between the ages 7-15, the series focuses on participation and having fun rather than competition, and many of the events are not timed.

“The USA Swimming Foundation is pleased to partner with USA Triathlon and their Splash and Dash Youth Aquathlon Series to promote the Make a Splash initiative,” said USA Swimming Foundation Executive Director Debbie Hesse. “The addition of USA Triathlon to our Affiliate Coalition positively impacts kids across the nation, saving lives through our joint message of learn-to-swim.”

“We are proud to partner with the USA Swimming Foundation to provide the best educational opportunities possible to our youth members,” said Rob Urbach, USA Triathlon CEO. “Swimming is the barrier to entry in our sport and this partnership will enable significantly more youth to engage in multisport and reap the benefits of the lifestyle.”

Sobering Drowning Statistics
Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than one in five fatal drowning victims are children younger than 14. Drowning is also a silent killer—most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning study.

Furthermore, 60-70 percent of black and Hispanic/Latino children have little to no swimming ability, and only 13 percent of kids who come from a non-swimming household will ever learn to swim, according to a national research study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis. Black children drown at a rate nearly three times higher than their white peers, the CDC reports.